Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow put forth a gutsy effort in his club’s Monday night win over the Los Angeles Rams, 26-for-49 with 259 yards and an interception in the 19-16 victory.

Burrow was battling a calf injury, and going into the game, his status was in question.

On Tuesday, New York Jets signal-caller Aaron Rodgers spoke about Burrow’s performance during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

“I don’t know that people realize how much pain and limited mobility he was in,” said Aaron Rodgers, who added that he sent Burrow a text (via Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team). “That’s what great competitors do. They show up and play through the pain and don’t make it a big deal.”

The Bengals were in desperation mode going into their matchup with the Rams, as they started the season 0-2 and were in danger of falling behind in the competitive AFC North.

Had Cincinnati been 2-0, perhaps the coaching staff would have convinced Burrow to take it easy and sit. However, with Cincy’s playoff hopes hanging in the balance, Zac Taylor and Co. were surely going to have a hard time persuading Burrow to remain on the sideline.

Through the first three weeks of 2023, Burrow has hardly looked like himself, totaling 563 yards, two touchdowns and two picks while completing just 55.4 percent of his throws and registering a passer rating of 66.2.

The 26-year-old has been dealing with the balky calf since initially suffering the injury in the second practice of training camp, so this may unfortunately be something that Burrow will have to deal with all season long.

Joe Burrow is coming off of a 2022 campaign in which he threw for 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance.

The Bengals will look to get back to .500 when they take on the Tennessee Titans next Sunday.